Trump Explained Why the Agreement on Ukraine's Mineral Resources Is Very Beneficial for the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the agreement signed in 2025 between Ukraine and the United States on cooperation in the field of mineral resources is “very beneficial” for Washington. According to him, thanks to these agreements, the U.S. can derive significant profits from access to Ukrainian resources.
The U.S. president emphasized that Ukraine possesses significant reserves of rare-earth minerals, and the agreement, in his view, will allow the U.S. to offset the costs of supporting Kyiv.
“We’ve signed an agreement (with Ukraine—ed.)... We have a signed contract. As for rare earth resources, we can tap into them at any time. We can take practically anything we want. It was a pretty good deal,” Trump said.
He also suggested that the U.S.’s potential revenue from implementing the agreements could exceed $300 billion, which, he said, would allow Washington to “get its money back.”
On April 30, 2025, Ukraine and the U.S. signed an agreement to establish an Investment Fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction in the mineral resources sector.
The document stipulates that:
- full ownership and control over Ukraine’s mineral resources remain with Ukraine;
- only Ukraine determines where and which minerals will be extracted;
- the Fund operates on the basis of an equal partnership, and Ukraine and the U.S. manage it on a parity basis, without either party having a controlling vote;
- the agreement does not alter the rules governing the privatization and management of state-owned companies, which will continue to be owned by Ukraine.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko emphasized that state-owned companies, in particular “Ukrnafta” and “Energoatom,” remain the property of Ukraine, and that the agreements reached do not provide for the transfer of control over Ukraine’s mineral resources or strategic enterprises.
Trump made this statement on the Real America’s Voice program.
The agreement between Ukraine and the United States on cooperation in the field of subsoil use will not lead to the start of production for at least the next decade and will require large-scale private investment.
Delegations from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) were shown the first deposits in the Kirovohrad region, which could serve as pilot projects for the Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
